Mazrim Taim
| occupation=Asha'man | nationality=Saldaean | rank=Asha'man | title=M'Hael | affiliation=Unknown | gender=Male | height=Tall | hair=Black | status=Alive | appeared= | mentioned= | lastappeared= | lastmentioned= | living=kod }} Mazrim Taim (MAHZ-rihm tah-EEM) is a male channeler and a former False Dragon. Appearance He has black hair, with a dark face, and the tilted eyes, hooked nose and high cheekbones of a Saldaean. In his first meeting with Rand al'Thor, the Dragon thought him in his mid-thirties, perhaps due to the stress of evading Davram Bashere's armies during his journey to Caemlyn. He normally looks somewhat younger, as all channelers do.ONE MORE TIME Robert Jordans Blog History He is from Saldaea. As a man who can channel, Taim falsely declared himself to be the Dragon Reborn in 998 NE. Activities He burnt much of Saldaea and nearly defeated Davram Bashere before he was captured, though only because he fell off his horse due to the visions of Falme. Before being captured, a farmer allegedly gave him one of the Seals of the Dark One's prison. Capture, Escape, and the Black Tower Although captured, he escaped, and took advantage of Rand al'Thor's amnesty to male channelers to escape punishment for his crimes, and for glory. After giving Rand the cuendillar Seal, he was appointed as leader and teacher of 'the farm'. 'The farm', later renamed the Black Tower, was a training center for male channelers. He now leads Rand al'Thor's male channelers, the Asha'man, and calls himself the M'Hael, which means Leader in the Old Tongue. He is notably arrogant, forgoing normal Asha'man rankings for blue-and-gold dragons on his coat sleeves, paying homage to Rand's arm markings while apparently mocking him at the same time. It is also worth noting that Taim does not wear the collar pins, as all other Asha'man do. He leads the Asha'man into the Battle of Dumai's Wells but it is very suspect on how he found out and under whose direction he is. He enjoyed watching the Rebel Aes Sedai swear fealty to Rand. He later pays a visit to Elayne Trakand and is forced to observe and obey Andoran law due to the Black Tower being on Andoran land. He is also forced to accept daily visits from soldiers of the Queen's Guards on the Black Tower grounds. When Elayne is summoned by the Wise Ones, Taim sneaks a peek at her when she has to go naked. Hidden Agenda Once thought to be Demandred in disguise,The "Taimandred" theory has been debunked in at least two places: Robert Jordan has explicitly said it in interviews http://www.silklantern.com/viewtopic.php?topic=9540&forum=2&22, and Demandred also expressed surprise and confusion over finding a man who can channel in a black coat – Damer Flinn – at the battle at Shadar Logoth. If he was Mazrim Taim, he would have understood the appearance of an Asha'man immediately. Taim is still speculated to be a Darkfriend, however he could also be another of the Forsaken in disguise as he refers to the Aiel as "these so-called Aiel", a reference to Da'Shain Aiel which has been made before by the Forsaken. He certainly does not have Rand's best interests at heart; he secretly sent four Asha'man (Charl Gedwyn, Manel Rochaid, Peral Torval, and Raefar Kisman, all Darkfriends) to kill Rand in the Sun Palace (Though it is suggested that it was not actually Taim, but one of the forsaken in disguise who issued the order. Though none are mentioned, Osan'gar seems the most likely). He later reports to Rand after the attack that all four men are deserters. He seems shocked and surprised when Rand also mentions that Corlan Dashiva is also a deserter. He watches Rand put Fedwin Morr to sleep for good and mutters how hard Rand is. It has also been theorized that Taim is, in fact, Moridin in disguise, despite the character of Taim being introduced before the character of Moridin. However, since it is unknown exactly when Ishamael was resurrected as Moridin, this is still a viable option. Evidence for this connection (aside from that listed in the previous paragraph) include Corlan Dashiva's (Osan'gar) readiness to obey his orders and Taim's use of the colors red and black, which were Ishamael's colors. Other theories suggest that Taim was once Ishamael's student. It should also be noted that he is at odds with the Asha'man Logain Ablar, also a former False Dragon, who holds more loyalty to Rand than Taim does, and believes Taim is a Darkfriend . Darkfriend suspicions left|thumb|200px|Taim from a [[Wheel of Time translations|Japanese translation book cover]] Logain claims that Taim has a small sect of followers whom he personally teaches weaves that no other Asha'man know. Taim refuses to believe that Rand was responsible for the [[cleansing of saidin|cleansing of saidin]]. Very recently, Taim met with Aes Sedai and agreed to allow the bonding of Asha'man by sisters of the Red Ajah. His justification for this was "let the Lord of Chaos rule", a phrase unknown outside of the Forsaken. Atal Mishraile nearly reveals something to them before he is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head with air from Taim. Taim will only allow him to be Healed if he survives the night. It is possible that Mazrim Taim is turning Asha'man into Darkfriends with thirteen channelers channeling through thirteen Myrddraal. This is strongly hinted at during Towers of Midnight, where several channelers in the Black Tower are said to be turned different, as "Shadow brought into man." It is also revealed that Moridin's second dreamspike is at the Black Tower, which can be seen as conclusive evidence that Taim is a Darkfriend. Category:False Dragons